Inscription: what is it?
by Eliah Hecht 
Aug 3rd 2007 at 4:15PM
One of Wrath of the Lich King's big ticket items is a new profession: Inscription. However, no hard details have really emerged on what it is or how it works. Here's Blizzard's description from their WotLK press release: "Learn this exciting new profession and gain unique ways to permanently enhance spells and abilities in the game." And here's the most complete description I've seen so far, from 1up: Wrath of the Lich King will introduce a new profession called Inscription that will let players customize individual spells and abilities in their spell book -- to change the cooldown timer on a Fireball, for example, or alter the crit rate of a healing spell.
So it's like enchanting, but for your spells? Certainly has my attention. What do you guys think? How should it work? What sort of materials does it use, and how do you keep it from becoming overpowered? If it's on demo at Blizzcon, I'm sure our bloggers on the floor will come up with more details, so stay tuned.
Filed under: Expansions, BlizzCon, Wrath of the Lich King, Inscription
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Ryan DeBraal Apr 21st 2008 9:56PM
This will ruin WoW.
There is no way to balance 9 character classes now, how do they think their going to balance the ability to modify the 50 spells in everyones spellbook?
Besides the fact that this stuff is gonna cost 10k gold.
To win at WoW visit: Buy-wow-gold.com - Blizzard is basically gonna force people to be cheaters to be winners - *cough* cough*MLB*cough*
Cause you won't be able to compete without it
Milktub Aug 3rd 2007 4:20PM
If I'm to guess, it'll use Primal Mana. Tons of it.
Baluki Aug 3rd 2007 4:20PM
Sounds more like giving us new talents that anyone can use.
Lori Aug 3rd 2007 4:21PM
Inscriptions are supposed to be saleable on the AH and appear to be spell and ability "enchants". If regular enchants aren't made saleable also, I'm going to be pissed!
Seper Aug 3rd 2007 4:26PM
this is going to suck for everyone and unbalance the game. Its hard enough going up against the hardcore pvp types.. but to give them knockbacks and higher chances to crit etc.. its just going to be nuts.
I can see mages in particiular putting alot of spell crit on there abilities and then they will be able to instantly kill you with instant spells. I think this is a bad move.. but the only one i can see so far. I luv the expansion otherwise!
(on another note.. most people cant afford enchants as it is now you have to buy enchants and inscriptions and gems etc. etc. No ones going to be able to keep up with this stuff *sighs*
Neythas Aug 3rd 2007 4:48PM
Uhm, perhaps it'll be like the Aldor and Scryer inscriptions to where you create an "enchant" of some form that'll effect your spells and whatnot or specific spells and are sellable as runes? As for the Primal Mana comment.. I think those'll be history with the new expansion and content.
Josh Aug 3rd 2007 4:28PM
@3 I too will be a disappointed if something isn't given to enchanters to be able to sell enchants easier.
I hope getting enchanting maxed again won't be a pain again either.
nagash_wow Aug 3rd 2007 4:32PM
It looks like the concept of inscriptions is to compare as gems are to armor.
There will probably be 1 or 2 inscription slots on a spell, and from there you can increase certain aspects of the spell.
So yeah mages may go for the crit chance. But then again who doesn't put all +damage gems and fore go the set bonus anyway.
larek Aug 3rd 2007 4:35PM
@4
what are you talking about? "most people can't afford enchants as it is now..." TBC is sooooo easy to earn money in. do three daily quests. that's atleast 30+ gold a day. Sell the grey or green items that you get while doing said quests and get another 10+ G a day. Its all about what you want to spend your money on, not the inability to get it. yeah, save up 5000G to get epic flying ability, spend it on that and you have nothing else. Suve up 5000G and don't buy an epic flyer, and you have enchants, gems, inscriptions enough to enchant every item you will ever pic up. Seiously, if you have trouble raising 100G for an enchant, gem, or inscription just quit WOW cause you haven't figured out how to play yet.
I realise that I am going to get flamed for bad grammar amonst other things. so go ahead, but my point is still valid
Kellian Aug 3rd 2007 4:36PM
Definitely sounds like something that would be worth scrapping the horribly nerfed Alchemy profession for...
Colin Aug 3rd 2007 4:56PM
Sounds interesting, but has the potential to be very overpowered. I think to prevent twinking, high level spells would have more inscription slots, for instance you might get your first slots around level 30-40 abilities, and get another at 60, then another at 80.
I hadn't heard of these becoming sellable in the AH, but if that is true, I'll be really annoyed as a high level enchanter. It better be evened out.
Jason Aug 3rd 2007 4:42PM
Sounds like they're turning AA's into a profession. I'd rather see it as an in-game XP trade off similar to AAs from EQ or Merit points from FFXI.
Erica Olson Aug 3rd 2007 4:48PM
@7 " TBC is sooooo easy to earn money in. do three daily quests. that's atleast 30+ gold a day. Sell the grey or green items that you get while doing said quests and get another 10+ G a day"
Not sure what TBC you're playing. Many of us can't do 3 daily quests as we can't get to them to do them yet. I don't have many green items drop for me. Those that do need to be disenchanted so I can use the mats as an enchanter. Gotta love that arcane dust from just about every de. And when I do check the prices at the vendor it's usually 1g or so per item. Wow, that adds up in a hurry - not. AH charges too much commission and eats into profits too if you want to take the chance that someone will actually buy it and you won't lose the outrageous deposit price.
Yep, the greens sure drop on the Fires over Skettis daily quest. I'm rolling in dough from everything that drops of the birds that do manage to attack me. Oh, wait, they don't have loot, now do they.
It also costs a bit to repair gear, buy pots, consumables, mats, etc. for professions and instances/raiding and skilling up.
"Seiously, if you have trouble raising 100G for an enchant, gem, or inscription just quit WOW cause you haven't figured out how to play yet."
Not very nice to insult other players. We all play the game to the best of our abilities and try not to be elitist snob jerks (such as yourself). Many of us do have lives outside the game that actually mean something. After all, will $100 WoW gold pay my mortgage or heating bill? Many of us have figured out that the game is skewed to a certain mindset and the rest of us are SOL.
I gladly enchant for free if someone brings me the mats. It is just a push of a button and isn't that hard to do. People are greedy though and charge outrageous prices. More power to them.
Junthuun Jan 23rd 2008 6:54PM
uhh, i have no problem making money, and im only level 57, horrible enchanting, and almost no tailoring whatsoever. if you dont have enuf brains to figure out exactly how to make money, then ur screwed in WoW these days. ur gonna suck at level 70. i usually just quest all day, and sell the greys that i find (i fill up my 3 netherweave bags, im a hunter so i have to have the quiver bag) and i have almost nothing in my bag after i sell it, and this is all within bout 1 hour, questing in winterspring/ training in outlands (was summoned there by some freinds, dont call me a hacker), with each grey costing anywhere between 1-2G. this is a very effective way of making money, and if you dont figure it out, then ur screwed with money. im sittin on a nice pile myself. i might own the AH some times with greens that i put in there from SFK/RFK/SM/BRD, but im not a ninja either, so dont be gay and call me a ninja. i just solo RFK, SFK, and SM, but go with freinds to BRD. if you dont have freinds in WoW, then thats very sad. GET SOME FREINDS, MORON. and i am level 57, sitting on bout 150g. START PLAYING WITH SOME COMMON SENSE!!!!!
prolly gonna get reported for this but oh well. soo sad. ill just make another account and start usin the new one. if i tell you my char youll try and hack it/ bann me, so ima be smart and not tell
ps: I THINK THAT THE DK RULES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Scott Aug 3rd 2007 5:21PM
If it is in fact an effect directly on your spells, ala "inscription slots"...
This would be far less of a money sink than other professions are. As it is, every time you upgrade gear you have to buy new gems and enchants. Once you're max level, the spell is the same no matter what upgrades you get. It'll be interesting to see how this pans out.
Ty Aug 3rd 2007 5:26PM
Guys this game still has 1-2 years until it's released, just look at how long it took TBC, they will figure it out, gosh this was JUST displayed today give it some time, they will try there best to not overpower it.
Freehugz Aug 3rd 2007 5:28PM
lol@nubs that can't make gold easily in bc
Eleanorrigby Aug 3rd 2007 5:41PM
I can make 500g in my sleep in TBC. And I'm not sure what the guy meant by not being able to do a lot of daily quests......THEN FINISH YOUR OTHER QUESTS FIRST!! They only give you anywhere from 12g-24g a quest!! :?
Teeb Aug 3rd 2007 5:53PM
@11 -- It's also incredibly easy to get to 70. If you can't figure out how to level in the easiest leveling MMO ever, it's no wonder you struggle with the economy as well.
@5 -- When I had enchanting I made all my money DE'ing stuff and selling mats. I hate standing around hawking enchants and dealing with randoms. They really should fix that. Simple solution -- those twigs you buy to make the lowbie wands... Instead of ever enchanting gear, you enchant a twig, the twig becomes a BoE one charge item to enchant the proper gear. Problem solved. Wish they'd implement it. And hire me, lol.
@4 -- I am completely over WoW at this point, but even I know Blizzard isn't stupid enough to introduce a new profession that would completely imbalance the game. They'll make it work.
Although I do have my doubts that death knights won't ruin class balance and skew the population incredibly heavily towards the ONLY hero class available.
@14 -- Lol, don't kid yourself. Warhammer and AoC will be out by Q1 2008. This expansion will be too. Blizz knows they have a large market share in jeopardy. They've stayed on top so long simply for lack of solid competition. VG was a bust, and EQII was just never that strong. LoTRO and DDO didn't have much going for them either. Other than those... what else was there for serious competition? AoC will probably fit in with those a bit, but draw a lot of the older players. WAR will be the first real challenge from a seriously large game studio. Blizz will rush this expansion if need be...
KaonNemesis Aug 3rd 2007 7:11PM
Great.... ANOTHER layer of skill improvement to sink your money and time into *rolls eyes*. At least skills are something you're not constantly upgrading like equipment. Still, I know it's hard to believe, but it feels like the game's almost becoming too "deep"... already we have to research abilities, talents, equipment, enchants, gems, pots, and so on... plus you need to know where they all come from (reputation, dungeons, professions, trade-ins, quests, etc) and work on getting them. It's too much time spent researching what's "best" for your class/spec and not too much "fun", imho.